In the fall of 2020, about 100 photos were submited from 7 counties. Becker, East Otter Tail, and Faribault each submitted more than 20 photos, Mower submitted 13, and there were a few from Olmsted, Traverse, and Winona. I want to examine the relationship between cover crop planting date and % ground cover.
Average green ground cover was 28%, but the range was all the way from 0-99, witha quarter of the phtoos showing less than 5% ground cover, and a quarter showing more than 50% ground cover. As the photos below demonstrate, some of the low numbers may be due to interference with residue, so they may represent very effective soil protection even at low values. The photo showing 65% green cover is also shows that you don't need to get anywhere near 100% to have excellent growth. Points to keep in mind as we walk through the data exploration.